iMove On
by deviocity
Summary: An alternate way "iQuit iCarly" could have gone. Sam and Carly do not reconcile, and Freddie chooses Carly. What will Sam do now that she's lost her friends? Sam-centric. AU. OOC.
1. iTalk to Dad

**iMove On**

_Summary:_ An alternate way "iQuit iCarly" could have gone. Sam and Carly do not reconcile, and Freddie chooses Carly. What will Sam do now that she's lost her friends? Sam-centric. AU. OOC.

_Disclaimer:_ iCarly belongs to Dan Schneider and Nickelodeon.

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Sam: _"…Well if you meant everything you said, then I don't even get why you'd want to be friends with me."_

Carly: _"And back at ya."_

Sam: _"Okay then."_

**~from 'iQuit iCarly'**

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**Chapter 1: iTalk to Dad**

The phone only rang once before it was answered. It was always like that with Dad. No matter how busy he was or who was in front of him, he would answer his phone on the first ring whenever I called. That was one of the reasons I loved him so much.

"Hey, princess. What's up?" he asked. His voice was genuinely happy. He never once answered the phone in a hurried, annoyed, or distracted voice. He was always willing to talk with me.

"Are you busy, D?" I asked casually. I knew that he most likely _was_ busy. After all, he was a big shot lawyer in San Francisco. But I always asked for formality's sake.

"Never for you," he replied as he usually did. It made me smile. But this call wasn't the usual catching up. I was going to need a lot of his time.

"Actually, Dad, I've got something big to discuss with you. It will take a while. Why don't you give me a call when you have some time set aside—

"Hang on," he replied hurriedly. Then he must have put his hand over the mouthpiece because his voice was muffled as he said, "_Louise!_"

"_Yes, sir!" _said a muffled female voice a few seconds later.

"_Reschedule the rest of my meetings for the day," _said Dad's muffled voice.

"_B-but, sir. This will be the second time we'll reschedule on Mr. Thomas. We might lose him as a client if we reschedule on him _again_."_ I heard Dad sigh.

"_That's right," _Dad's muffled voice sounded annoyed._ "Send Gordon in for me."_

"_What? But sir, he just started—_

"_He was the best intern I've ever had working for me before I asked him to join this firm. He'll do fine. Tell him that I'm giving him the Thomas case."_

"_Yes, sir,"_ said Louise's voice resignedly.

"Princess? You still there?" Dad's voice asked clearly through my phone's receiver.

"You do know that I could still hear you even if you cover the mouthpiece, right?" I asked, raising an eyebrow even though he couldn't see it.

"Of course I'm aware that you could hear me. I only covered the mouthpiece so my yelling won't hurt your pretty little ear." I could hear the smile in his words.

"Figured as much. But D, you didn't need to cancel all your meetings," I argued.

"Nonsense! You're more important than some corporate manager trying to get out of embezzlement charges," he stated easily.

"Need I remind you that you represent those greedy corporate managers," I countered with a smirk.

"Please don't, or I'll have to buy myself another boat just to forget." I could just picture the same smirk on his face as he spoke. "So what's troubling you, sweetheart?" I hesitated for a second.

"Carly and I had a fight, D," I said dejectedly.

"Oh, honey. I'm sorry to hear that," he said sincerely. "Just give it a few days, I'm sure when you both cool down, you'll be best friends again, _and_ you'll be closer than ever." I knew he was trying to cheer me up, but it didn't work.

"I'm not sure that will happen this time, Dad. It was a pretty big fight. I think I lost her as a friend for good. We even decided to end iCarly since our last show was a disaster."

"Oh," was all he said. I knew he was trying to figure out what to say to make things better. "So, what do you want to do now?" he finally asked. Again, I hesitated.

"I…I want to go live with you." He was silent for a few seconds.

"Sammy, are you sure that's what you really want? Don't get me wrong, I would love nothing more than to have _both _my baby girls here with me. But have you really thought this through?"

"I…." I didn't know how to answer him. He must have sensed my hesitation so he continued speaking.

"How long has it been since your fight?" he asked gently.

"Our first fight was two days ago. We had another blow out during the web show yesterday."

"How about you give it another day or two, Sammy. Wait it out until the weekend is over at least," he suggested. "Make sure that leaving Seattle is what you really want to do. Who knows, maybe you and Carly will make up later today or tomorrow. Again, don't get me wrong. I've been asking you to come live with me and your sister for _years_. I want you here. Melly and I both want you here. But you always tell us that you have to stay in Seattle to take care of your mother. And I'm proud of you for doing that, Sammy. It shouldn't have been your responsibility but you took it upon yourself anyway, even when you needed to be taken cared of yourself," he said proudly, making me blush.

"I didn't do much—

"You did a _lot_. If it wasn't for you, I think your mother would have died or been put in jail years ago." I was suddenly filled with fear and worry.

"Do you…do you think that would happen if I left her?" I asked hesitantly, fearing the answer.

"No," he answered. "A few years ago, definitely. But over the years, she's gotten better. And that's all thanks to you, by the way. Plus, I could call your aunt Maggie to check in on her every once in a while."

"You know, D, maybe leaving wasn't such a great idea after all. Mom might need me."

"Sammy, your mother can take care of herself. And if you want to live with me, I think that you shouldn't let your mother stop you from doing so. It's about time you got properly taken cared of."

I didn't know how to respond to that. For years, I had to take care of myself _and_ my mother. Sure, I have—I mean, _had_…I _had_ Carly. She took care of me more than Mom ever did. But a best friend who's a few months younger than you couldn't be your mother figure. Plus, I couldn't count on her to watch out for me anymore.

"Sammy, you still there?" I hadn't realized I spaced out for so long.

"Yeah. Sorry."

"Thought I lost you there for a second. But anyways, moving to San Francisco is a huge deal, Sammy, so I want you to make sure it's the right choice for you. I know the Shay's have provided a haven of sorts from your home life, and Carly is a major part of why you can tolerate staying in Seattle with your mother. To be honest, if you believe that your friendship with her has ended, I don't think I'm comfortable with leaving you there. And don't try to defend your mother, princess. I will never forgive her for not being a good mother to you."

"She did her best," I stated pathetically. Dad sighed.

"I know she did," he conceded. "But it wasn't enough. I could have given you more. A _lot _more. If you and your sister hadn't stopped me, I would have called the Child Protective Services on her long ago. And she's lucky you chose her, or I would have fought harder to get custody of you." I suddenly felt like I'd done something wrong.

"I'm sorry," I automatically said.

"What?" he asked confusedly. "Why are you—oh! _Shit_. Sammy, _I'm_ sorry. I didn't…." He took a breath to compose himself. "I'm sorry, Sammy. I didn't mean to sound like that. I'm not mad at you, okay. Please believe me, princess, I'm not angry at _you_. I'm mad at your mother. I hate that she didn't take care of you more."

"I know," I said in a soft voice. "But it was my choice. I chose to stay with her."

"Still, you didn't deserve being neglected all these years," he countered. "You know that I'm not mad at you, right?" he asked again.

"Yes, D, I got that," I said reassuringly.

"And choosing your mother and wanting to take care of her is nothing to apologize for. It was honorable. And I'm proud of you for it. You have a lot of character, more than the whole Puckett Clan combined."

"That's not really saying much, Dad," I stated, making him laugh loudly.

"True. With parents like me and your mother, I don't know how you and Melly turned out so _good_." I raised an eyebrow at that.

"Uh, Dad, Mel is the good one. Have you not been receiving my report cards with the teachers' comments?"

"Those don't count. You could have been a model student if you wanted to." I felt a shift in Dad's mood. "Again, it's your mother's fault. If she'd only pulled herself together sooner, you wouldn't have needed to take care of her and neglected your studies. Also, your teachers are stupid and incompetent. They should have never judged you based on that off year and continue to label you as a hopeless delinquent. They've already made up their minds about you and wouldn't change their opinions even when you did start applying yourself. So how could I blame you for acting out? Remind me again why I didn't send you to St. Stephen's Academy?"

"Because I didn't want to go to private school and leave Carly behind." It suddenly got awkward.

"Ahh…That's right…."

"Yeah…."

"So our conversation has come full circle and we're back to the point…."

"Yup-_puh_," I said, popping the 'p.'

"So you want to leave Seattle and come live with me and Melly?"

"Yes," I said with certainty.

"And you're _sure_ that's what you want to do?"

This time, I wasn't as certain as I replied, "Yes," making Dad sigh.

"Look, Sammy. I'm trying very hard to be a mature, responsible adult here. A huge part of me wants me to tell you to pack up and I'll be over there by nightfall." Both he and I gave a short laugh even though we both knew he was being absolutely serious. He continued speaking once we both sobered. "I'm not going to lie to you. I want you here. When you said that you wanted to live with me, I was really_ really _happy." That made me feel guilty. I knew how much it hurt him and Mel when I decided to stay with Mom in Seattle and not move to San Francisco with them.

"I know, Dad," I said softly, trying not to show my guilt. But Dad must have heard it anyway.

"Hey, now. I'm not trying to make you feel guilty. I'm just stating the truth." He cleared his throat. "Sammy, there's obviously something still holding you back. As much as I want you here with me and your sister, I don't want you to regret moving here. So please think about this carefully. Whatever that something is that's holding you back, is it enough reason for you to stay?" I wasn't even surprised when Dad figured out that there was a something. He's probably the only person who knew me better than Carly or Mel ever did.

"I don't know," I admitted.

"Well, then. I better let you go. Looks like you have a lot of thinking to do. But whatever decision you make, please make it because it's what _you_ want, and not because it's what I want or what Mel wants. Find out for sure if there are still reasons for you to stay. And if you find that there aren't, I'll be on the next flight to Seattle to pick you up. And I doubt I'll be able to stop your sister from coming along." I groaned. "What?"

"She's gonna want to do some _bonding_," I said, almost sounding like I was whining.

"What's wrong with bonding with your sister?" Dad asked in concern.

"She tries too hard, Dad. And she gets really corny at times. Like, soap opera-ish corny. It makes me cringe."

"Yeah, Melly _can_ get a bit dramatic," he conceded with a laugh. "But she's especially like that with you because, well, she misses you. And she loves you. You have no idea how devastated she was when she first found out about Carly being your best friend. For a long time, she hated her."

"She did?" I asked in surprise. "But she's always been so nice to Carly whenever she visited."

"Well, Melly stopped hating her because she got to know her. Like me, she hated how your mother's neglect has affected you. When she saw that Carly made you happy and gave you a place to stay when you didn't want to go home, she changed her view of Carly. You didn't hear this from me, but your sister still feels some resentment towards Carly because she feels like she stole you away. But for your sake, Melly accepted her. And in time, she came to like her since they had a lot in common."

"I didn't know that."

"She was afraid that if you found out she didn't like your best friend, then she'd lose you completely."

"That's stupid."

"Is it? Carly is…_was_ your best friend. And both Melly and I know that Carly was another reason you stayed in Seattle. Because of that, Melly felt that if it came down to a choice between her or Carly, you'd choose Carly."

I was silent in contemplation for several seconds.

"I didn't know she felt that way. Mel's my sister. Even if we did drift apart, I still love her."

"You should tell her. She'd love to hear that." I rolled my eyes.

"That I know. She loves that corny chizz." Then I sighed. "Look, D. Could you explain to Mel that I don't do the mushy crap that she does? Could you tell her to tone down the corniness by a lot? If she could do that, then I'll try a lot harder to do the sisterly bonding that she so wants."

"Why don't you just tell her yourself?"

"Because then I'd be in a situation that's much too dramatic for me, and I'm trying to avoid that."

"Point taken. I'll speak to her about it after you tell me whether or not you're moving here for sure." I felt our conversation about to end, so I started the goodbyes.

"Thanks for the talk, Dad," I said sincerely.

"You're welcome, princess. Now look who's being all dramatic?" he teased. I rolled my eyes at him even if he doesn't see me.

"Well, I guess there are moments and peoples that I'd make an exemption for."

"I love you."

"I love you too, Dad."

**TBC**

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**_A/N:_ Sorry for the long absence. My life's been hectic since I got this new job. It still is hectic. But I figured, if I get something out there, I'll start writing again, and hopefully write more regularly. I'll just take the plunge, so to speak, and see what happens. I make no promises, though.

Anyways, I've decided to try my hand at a multi-chapter fic, and came up with this Sam-centric story about her relationship with her family and her friends set in an alternate plot line that breaks off from when Sam and Carly ended iCarly. This probably won't be like my usual stories in terms of genre. And I'm not sure if I want Sam to have any romantic relations in this story as of yet. But if there will be, of course it'll be Seddie.

Btw, I don't know if this concept has been done before. I haven't come across a story with this concept, so let me know if it has been done and I'll be sure to give credit where it's due. Thanks.

And thank you for reading. It'll be awesome if you could leave a review.


	2. iReason

**iMove On**

_Summary:_ An alternate way "iQuit iCarly" could have gone. Sam and Carly do not reconcile, and Freddie chooses Carly. What will Sam do now that she's lost her friends? Sam-centric. OOC. AU.

_Disclaimer:_ iCarly belongs to Dan Schneider and Nickelodeon.

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**Chapter 2: iReason**

_Sam's POV:  
_

It was Monday, the third day since we ended the web show, and Carly and I still had not made up. She didn't contact me at all. To be fair, I didn't contact her either. I didn't even try. What was I suppose to say? I wasn't going to apologize. I wasn't in the wrong here. Then again, neither was she. We just felt like the other was lacking in some way. Maybe…maybe we were just too different to remain friends. Maybe we weren't meant to be friends in the first place. It was easy enough to ignore our differences when we were kids. But as we grew up, our differences became more apparent. Maybe we've reached a point where our differences were all we could see and were all that mattered.

_Argh!_ I growled at my reflection in the mirror and then rubbed my temples in a circular motion. I had given myself a headache with all these "maybes." And I hadn't even started on the "what ifs" yet.

After a minute, I decided that I've wasted enough time in the bathroom and had to start getting dressed for school. Knowing that I would need a clear head today, I opened the medicine cabinet and took out some Aleve. As much as possible, I've tried not to take any drugs, even if they were legal. There were too many drug addicts in both sides of my family, and I didn't want to turn out like them. But with the decision I had to make weighing heavily on my mind, I knew that I wouldn't be able to think properly without some pain-killers.

All too soon, I made it to school. And for the first half of the day, I did not see Carly. It seemed like she was avoiding me and was doing a great job doing so. What surprised me a bit was that I have not seen Freddie either. In hindsight, I knew I shouldn't have been surprised at all. After all, Freddie 'loved' Carly. But I _was_ actually surprised.

Sure, Freddie and I fought and bickered a lot. And I have physically and emotionally tortured him somewhat. But we were kinda, sorta friends…right? We both have said that we hated each other, but I knew we didn't really mean it. Or at least, _I_ didn't really mean it. I would never admit it out loud, but I did care about the nub. I even took the effort to get the jocks in school to stay away from him. And Gibby. A few years back, I'd actually taken the captains of the football and basketball teams aside and told them to stay away from those two nerds because they were mine to torture. Of course, they laughed since I was a thirteen-year-old girl who was a third of their size. But after they got out of the hospital, they smartly decided to follow my order and told all the other jocks to stay away from Freddie and Gibby. (I think they made up some lie about the two boys being their younger cousins or something. They weren't going to tell their teammates that they got beat up by a little girl.) I knew for a fact that the wedgies I'd given Freddie and Gibby were nothing compared to what those jocks could have done to them.

So, yeah. As unlikely as it seemed, I did consider Freddie a friend. But it looked like he didn't consider me a friend.

At lunch time, I ate alone. Well, that wasn't exactly true. I sat with some of my friends from detention, but I felt alone all through the lunch period as I watched Freddie and Carly sitting at the usual table from afar. Ten minutes before lunch was over, I saw Carly get up and leave the cafeteria after dumping her trash. Seeing this as my chance to corner Freddie, I made my way over to him. The slightly frightened look he gave me as I sat across from him hurt a bit.

"'Sup, Freddifer?" I asked as casually as I could.

"What do you want, Sam?" he asked cautiously. I rolled my eyes to hide my hurt.

"Relax, nub. I'm not going to hurt you." He visibly relaxed.

"Well, what do you want?" he asked in a calmer tone and continued eating. A glance at the wall clock told me that I didn't have much time left to talk, so I got straight to the point.

"Are you choosing Carly's side?"

"Of course, I am," he replied right away. "I love Carly." I remained quiet. But in my head, I thought sarcastically, _'Gee, Freddie. Please answer faster.'_ Then his words finally registered in my head, and, well, they affected me more than I thought they would. I had to get out of there before I started tearing. I would not show him my tears, just as I didn't show Carly my tears after our fight. I stood up from my seat and avoided his eyes.

"Okay then," I said, echoing my last words to Carly, before I turned and walked out of the cafeteria.

I was emotionally drained after that short talk with Freddie. Since I didn't feel up to attending the rest of my classes, I snuck out of school and went home. Luckily, Mom wasn't there. This meant that I could speak to Dad freely. Like always, he answered on the first ring.

"Sammy?" was all he said before the stupid tears started falling.

"Come get me, Daddy. Please?" I sounded pathetic, but I didn't care. Dad was the only person I'd allowed myself to be pathetic with.

"Oh, princess. I'm sorry you had to go through this. But don't worry. Everything will be all right from now on. I'll make everything better. Now just hang on a minute. I'm going to do that 'cover the mouthpiece' thing while I arrange some things with Louise. All right, princess?"

"Okay," I replied softly. I grabbed my pillow and hugged it with one arm as my other hand continued to hold my phone to my ear.

"_Louise,"_ said Dad's muffled voice.

"_I've already started rescheduling your meetings as soon as I heard Samantha's ringtone, Mr. Puckett."_

"_You're the best, Louise. Could you also get Roger on the phone?"_

"_Of course, Mr. Puckett."_

"_Thanks again." _I heard Dad lift up and drop his office phone. A second later, I heard the phone ring followed by a short beep.

"_Roger?"_

"_You needed to speak with me, Mr. Puckett?"_ Dad had apparently put him on speaker.

"_I need you to book the next flight out from here to Seattle for me and Melly."_

"_Round-trip, sir?"_

"_No. I don't know how long it will take to get everything that needs to be done completed. I'll just call you when I'm ready to come back with Melly and Sammy."_

"_Sammy is coming here? Congratulations, sir!"_ Wow. Did all of Dad's subordinates know about me?

"_Thanks,"_ Dad replied distractedly. _"And also book me two hotel rooms, please. Right next to each other. One with two beds. And a rental car. SUV preferred."_

"_Done, Mr. Puckett. I emailed you the itineraries. Your flight leaves in two hours."_

"_Thanks, Roger."_ I heard him hang up his phone.

"_Mr. Puckett?"_

"_Yes, Louise." _

"_Most of the meetings have been rescheduled. The clients who did not want to reschedule have agreed to meet with Mr. Grenaldi or Mr. Lee instead. Mr. Grenaldi offered his limo and driver to take you to the airport, while Stanley is en route with your limo towards St. Vincent's Christian Academy to pick up Melanie. I've also contacted the school's office. I've explained that there was a family emergency and you needed to take her out of school for a few days. They've already fetched her from class. She's on hold on line three right now."_

"_Thanks, Louise." _I heard a few beeps, and then, _"Melly?"_

"_Daddy? What's going on? The office said there was an emergency,"_ Mel's worried voice sounded through my receiver.

"_Not really an emergency. But it is rather urgent. Listen, Stanley is on his way to your school to pick you up. Go with him. Louise has already cleared it with the school. I'll meet you at the airport."_

"_The airport?"_ she asked in confusion.

"_Yes, the airport. We're picking up your sister."_

"_Really?"_ Mel sounded so excited that it made me feel a bit guilty.

"_Really, Melly,"_ I could hear the smile in Dad's voice._ "Now I have to go. Your sister is on hold on my cell. Just go with Stanley, and I'll see you at the airport."_

"_Aren't we going to go home and grab some clothes?"_

"_There's no time. The plane leaves in less than two hours. We'll just buy whatever we need when we get there."_

"_Okay. Bye, Daddy. Tell Sam I love her and that I'll see her soon."_

"_Will do, sweetie."_ A click ended their conversation.

"You heard that, princess?"

"Yeah, I did," I answered in a raspy voice. But at least my tears had stopped falling. "Go ahead and tell her that I love her too when you see her. But also tell her to—

"Tone down the corniness? Don't worry, I remembered our agreement. I'll tell her when we're on the plane." I heard a door shut closed. "Sorry to cut this short, Sammy, but I've got to go run, literally, to the car. I'll call you later, all right? Just hang in there. We'll be there soon."

"Wait! Dad, what do I tell Mom?" I asked apprehensively.

"Don't worry about that now. Just don't say anything yet. Wait for me at, okay? We'll handle telling her together."

"Okay, Dad….I love you."

"Initiating another dramatic moment? You're getting soft, princess," he jokes with a short laugh. "And I love you, too, Sammy. Bye."

As I closed my flip phone, I felt a sense of relief and excitement. Dad was coming to get me.

**TBC**

**

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**_A/N:_ Okay…so shorter than the first chapter. Oh, well.

Btw, the story is officially Seddie. Not so much a romance (at least not until much later...I think; haven't brainstormed that far), but definitely a friendship and perhaps even a _start _of their romance. But that's getting ahead of myself. In any case, I had to change the character selection since later chapters will be in Freddie's point-of-view. However, the next few chapters will still be in Sam's.

Again, thanks for reading. Hope you leave a review and tell me what you think.


	3. iSay Goodbye

**iMove On**

_Summary:_ An alternate way "iQuit iCarly" could have gone. Sam and Carly do not reconcile, and Freddie chooses Carly. What will Sam do now that she's lost her friends? Sam-centric. AU. OOC.

_Disclaimer:_ iCarly belongs to Dan Schneider and Nickelodeon.

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**Chapter 3: iSay Goodbye**

Before he and Mel boarded their airplane, Dad texted me their flight number and their arrival time (6:00pm) so I could check their flight status online. He also specifically told me to wait for him and Mel at the house and to not bother meeting them at the airport. But with Mom currently out, the loneliness of the empty house was feeding my depression. Unable to stand waiting at home after only a few minutes, I took the bus to Sea-Tac Airport. On the ride there, I'd texted Mom telling her I was at Carly's. I didn't like lying to her, but I wasn't going to tell her the truth just yet.

At the airport, I burned away three hours mostly keeping to myself and listening to my PearPod Nano. At one point, I ordered an overpriced bacon-cheeseburger and a Peppy Cola at one of the restaurants just for something to do. But surprisingly enough, I didn't have an appetite. I forced myself to eat it, though, since I didn't want to waste the fourteen dollars I'd spent. Afterwards, I found a relatively empty waiting area at the far end of the airport. I sat on one of the chairs cross-legged, with my hood up to ward off lonely strangers wanting a chat, and pretended to be asleep. This wasn't unusual since I saw several stranded passengers sleeping here and there; some while sitting up, some laying across four or five chairs, and some laying on the floor next to a wall.

At ten minutes before six o'clock, I made my way towards the baggage claim area. Luckily, Dad's and Mel's flight had no delays. Soon, people started trickling into the area. And once I caught a glimpse of a pair of golden hair at the far end, I ran towards it. I felt a happiness that I never knew I was missing flood my chest when I confirmed that the tall, blond man really was Dad. I haven't seen him in person since I was seven years old because Mom never allowed me to visit him or vice versa, and it was almost overwhelming to finally see him again.

"D!" I heard myself yell. I couldn't control my excitement. I saw Dad and Mel turned their heads in my direction and ran towards me. Dad ran faster than Mel and, with his long legs, he reached me first. I didn't even care about the tears that fell from my eyes when I felt his protective embrace surround me. Mel slammed into us a few moments later. For several seconds, we just stood there, in the middle of Sea-Tac Airport, holding each other.

"I told you to wait at the house," Dad said, breaking the silence. He pulled back and looked at me with a huge smile. "But I'm glad you didn't listen."

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As we pulled up the driveway in the rented Audi Q7, the lights streaming out the windows told us that Mom was already home. I hesitantly got out of the black SUV and started walking towards the door. Dad and Mel must have noticed my apprehension because Mel was immediately at my side while Dad walked in front of us, as if to shield us.

Before we reached the door, it suddenly swung opened and Mom stepped out.

"Melvin," she greeted Dad stoically.

"How are you Pamela?" Dad asked sincerely.

"Let's see. You suddenly show up at my house with _both_ my girls trailing behind you. What are you trying to pull, Melvin?" she asked accusingly.

"Pam, can we please talk inside?" Mom glared at him for a few seconds before turning around and walking back into the house. Dad followed her in, and Mel and I followed after him. We made our way to the living room. Mom sat on the loveseat while Dad sat on the couch across from her. Mel automatically sat beside Dad. I stayed standing not knowing where to sit. Mom, Dad, and Mel simultaneously realized that I hadn't sat down and turned to me, waiting to see what I'd do. Their eyes pleaded for me to choose their side. With a frustrated groan, I walked to the other side of the room and sat on the chair. I caught the small, accepting smiles on Dad's and Mel's faces and the slight worry in Mom's before they all turned away.

"So what's going on?" Mom directed at Dad through the uncomfortable silence.

"We're here to pick up Sammy," Dad answered bluntly. Mom turned her head to look at me again. I dropped my eyes on my lap, unable to meet her gaze.

"No," Mom said with finality. "She's mine, Melvin. You've already taken Melanie. I won't allow you to take Sam as well." I looked up to see that she was facing Dad again. The anger on her face and the strength projected by her posture was marred by the increasing worry in her eyes. The uncomfortable silence continued, and I decided it was my turn to break it.

"I asked to live with him, Mom," I confessed, focusing on her. She wouldn't look at me, but that didn't stop me from noticing her eyes start to tear and her back slouch a tiny bit.

"Oh," she said, looking anywhere but at me, Dad, or Mel. "Well, you better start packing, then. Excuse me." She stood up to leave.

"Wait, Mom!" I shot out of my seat and grabbed her arm. "Please let me explain first."

"What's there to explain?" she began. She glanced at me, but turned away again almost immediately. "I'm actually surprised you stayed with me this long." The watery laugh she gave broke my heart. I loosened my grip on her arm. "I'd expected you to leave years ago. I…I know I've been a terrible mother, and I never deserved you." She finally looked me in the eye then gave me a warm smile. A few tears slid down her face, which she ignored. Her right hand moved, and I watched as she raised it towards my face, but stopped it partway and quickly brought it down again by her side. Her smile turned tight. "I guess the best thing I could ever do for you is to let you go. I love you, Sam. And I'm sorry." With that, she turned away and walked towards the stairs.

"Mom!" I called out to her again. She stopped on the first step, though she did not look towards me. "I love you, too. And I'm…I'm sorry, too," I finished softly, but loud enough for her to hear from across the room. She nodded and continued up the stairs. I listened as her footsteps slowly got softer until they disappeared when she entered her bedroom and gently closed her door.

The living room was silent for several awkward seconds until Mel broke it.

"I'll help you pack," she exclaimed with false perkiness. Caught in a daze, I automatically nodded and followed as she walked briskly up the stairs towards my room. Mel found my suitcase under my bed and started to neatly but quickly place my clothes in it. A short while later, Dad comes in with the two huge suitcases that we bought at a Nordstrom before heading here. (Dad and Mel also bought themselves clothes and other necessities.)

I was still in a daze as we packed all my belongings. My body was moving, but I wasn't completely there. The whole night had turned into such a surreal experience.

Between the three of us, all my things were packed in about twenty minutes. We each carried a suitcase down the steps and into the SUV. (Mel, of course, carried the small one.) Then we headed back inside to say goodbye.

"Mom," I called from outside her door. "We're leaving now." Silence answered me.

"Bye, Mom!" Mel said enthusiastically, purposely ignoring the awkwardness. "I love you. And I'll see you again during the summer vacation." With that, she turned and left for the Audi.

"Pam?" Dad started. "I'm sorry we didn't give you any warning before coming here." He sighed when he received no response. "Don't worry about Sam. I'll take good care of her. I'll take good care of both our girls." He paused. "You take care of yourself, Pam," he said sincerely before following after Mel, leaving me alone.

"Mom," I started. I lifted a hand to touched her door and kept it there. "I love you. Don't do anything stupid, okay?" No answer. "I'll text you later. Bye."

I walked slowly down the stairs hoping Mom would burst out of her room and run to stop me. She didn't.

"You all right, princess?" Dad asked when I eventually got into the Audi.

"Yeah," I answered softly.

I watched the house as we pulled out of the driveway. I continued to watch it as we drove down the street and away from the house. And as we turned the corner, I noticed Mom's silhouette at her bedroom window.

**TBC**

**

* * *

**_A/N:_ I split Chapter 3 into two parts since it was getting ridiculously long. Oh, and can you guess what my dream vehicle is? I know, I know. SUVs = gas eaters. But I can't help it. I love SUVs. If it makes you feel better, I'll make it a hybrid. :P Thanks for reading!

Also, be sure to check out the stories of the following authors and collaborations from the Cabal:** arrossisce, aussiemma, axel100, BaalRules, BoxOfTrinkets, boxofpiglets, Commander Lagasse, Coyote Laughs, hartful13, ItalianBabexo8,**** iCabal, **** iCarlyangst, iLuvNathanKrEsS, JamesTheGreater, KingxLeon21, Myjumpingsocks, ober22, pairababes, Pieequals36, pigwiz, Tech-Man, The Earl of ****Sandwich, **and **xXACCEBXx. ****  
**


	4. iSay Goodbye, too

**iMove On**

_Summary:_ An alternate way "iQuit iCarly" could have gone. Sam and Carly do not reconcile, and Freddie chooses Carly. What will Sam do now that she's lost her friends?

_Disclaimer:_ iCarly belongs to Dan Schneider and Nickelodeon.

* * *

**Chapter 4: iSay Goodbye, too**

Despite the plush, queen-sized bed and down pillows and comforter, I barely got any sleep in the luxury suite at the Hilton. I was worried about Mom. Even with Dad's reassurance that she would be okay, I was still worried about what might happen to her. Or, rather, what she might do. Another thing that kept me up was how anxious I was about today. Dad, Mel, and I were going to Ridgeway.

After the three of us had breakfast together in Dad's suite, he called the school to speak with Principal Franklin and discussed my leaving Ridgeway. They had set a meeting for 9am to finalize all the paperwork. But we arrived a half an hour early to beat the passing time traffic between classes. I really wanted to avoid seeing any of my former friends.

It was another odd experience walking into Ridgeway with Dad and Mel on either side of me and knowing that it would be my last time to walk its halls. We stopped by my locker first so I could take down the pictures I've taped up and remove the microwave I had installed. I also took out all the books that I had to return to the school.

We then headed to Principal Franklin's office. He met with us right away even though we were early for the meeting. Dad and Principal Franklin did all the talking. In a short time, all the paperwork was signed, and we were given my transcripts. Then it was time to say goodbye.

"I want to thank you, Principal Franklin," said Dad as the two grown-ups shook hands. "You are probably the only educator in this school who cared about my daughter and tried to help her."

"It was my pleasure, Mr. Puckett. I admit that I'd received quite a few warnings from the faculty and staff about her when I first started working here. But I didn't want to give up on her before getting to know her, so I decided to observe her for myself and form my own opinions."

"Observe me?" I asked.

"Yes. You and a few of your usual companions from detention," he answered with a smile. "But you were different from them. For instance, you are the only student I know of who was able to wire electricity into her locker so she can plug in her locker-sized microwave. Doing so would have taken a lot of creativity and know-how. It just baffled me how such a smart and creative young woman could act out so much, so I set up those one-on-one meetings to try and figure you out and see how I could help you."

"And did you figure me out?" I asked with a smirk.

"No. Not at all. Instead, I just learned to accept you as you are and tried to guide you as best as I could in the right direction. I'm sorry that I didn't help you as much as I would have liked."

"But you _did_ help. Or at least attempted to," Dad said. "That's more than any one of your employees have done. And for that, I thank you." Principal Franklin nodded and then turned to me.

"I'm really going to miss having you as a student at my school, Sam. Ridgeway won't be the same without you," Principal Franklin said. And I could tell that he really meant it. He held out his hand for me to shake, but it wasn't enough for me. I didn't realize until then how cool he was (for an adult) and how much I was going to miss him. I pushed his hand aside and gave him a hug, which he returned a few seconds later when he got over his shock.

"I'm gonna miss you too, Ted." I pulled back. "I mean, Principal Franklin. And thank you."

"You're welcome."

With that, Dad, Mel, and I walked out of Principal Franklin's office, and I walked out of Ridgeway's doors one last time.

* * *

There was one more place I had to go before we returned to the hotel to grab our stuff and check out: Bushwell Plaza. I wanted to say goodbye to Spencer. But first, I decided to say goodbye to someone else who had been there to help me when I had no one to turn to.

The door of apartment 8D opened almost immediately once I knocked.

"There's two of you!" Mrs. Benson yelled in a mixture of surprise and horror at seeing me and Mel. I rolled my eyes.

"Relax. We're nothing alike. She's the _good_ twin."

"Oh," Mrs. Benson replied in a much calmer tone. "Well, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in school?"

"I came to say goodbye." Her expression changed to one of confusion.

"Goodbye?"

"Yeah. My dad and Mel are here to pick me up. I'm going to live with them now."

"Oh," she said again. She seemed at a lost to what to say. "Where?"

"That's not important," I replied. She nodded in acceptance. Then she stopped nodding as she thought of something.

"Does Freddie know?" she asked.

"Not yet," I replied. Her expression turned to anger.

"So that's why you came here?" she asked accusingly. "You want me to do your dirty work for you and break the news to him? Does Carly know? Or are you going to get Spencer to tell her?" It took a lot to remain calm and not yell at her to shut up.

"Actually," I said as calmly as I could, "Carly and I are no longer friends. And Freddie chose her side, so I guess he's no longer my friend either." Anger left her face to once again be replaced with confusion.

"Then why are you here?" I shrugged.

"I guess I just thought that it'd be proper to say goodbye. I mean, you did help a couple of times when I had no one to turn to." I couldn't be sure because it disappeared quickly, but I thought I saw a small smile on her face. "So…uh…goodbye. And thank you. Thanks for helping me even if I tormented your son."

"Wait," Dad said suddenly. "How did she help you?"

"Yeah," said Mel. "I don't recall you saying anything about asking Mrs. Benson for help." I blushed.

"Well, I didn't want to talk about it. It was kind of embarrassing."

"Could you tell us now?" Dad asked. "You don't have to if you don't want to, of course." After a second of considering it, I looked down both directions of the hallway to make sure no one was around.

"It's just…well…Mom never did explain to me about periods and all that…."

"What?" Dad said whispered in contained anger, no doubt directed at Mom.

"But I thought Mom helped you when you first got it," Mel said. "You're even the one who, you know, explained things to me and told me how to put on a pad when I first got mine that summer."

"Wait, wait, wait," Dad said in quick succession. "Back up. Start from the beginning."

"Fine," I said with a resigned sigh. "I was sleeping over at Carly's. When I woke up and went to the bathroom, I saw that I was bleeding. I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to wake up Spencer because, well, he was a guy. Then I remembered Freddie saying how his mom was a nurse, so I ran here. And Mrs. Benson explained about periods and stuff and taught me what to do. There. End of subject. Let's _never_ speak of this again."

"Wait. Did your mother help you at _all_?" Dad asked forcefully. I thought about how to answer his question, and decided to just tell the truth.

"No. I told her that I had started my period, but she didn't believe. She said I was still too young for that. So I had to rely on Mrs. Benson for the pads. Later, I asked her to take me to the store and show me what to buy. After that, I just went by myself and bought what I needed. Then when Mel visited the summer of that year, she got hers. I already knew what to do by then so we didn't even have to bother Mom."

"You're mother is the most useless woman I've ever known," Dad said heatedly. "The only good thing I'd say about her is that she gave me the two of you." He forced himself to calm down and then turned to Mrs. Benson. "Thank you, Mrs. Benson, for the help you have given to my daughter. Both my daughters, in fact. I owe you." Then Dad took out his wallet, pulled out his business card, and held it out to her. "If you ever need anything, anything at all…." Mrs. Benson grabbed it and began to read.

"San Francisco, huh?" she questioned rhetorically. "I'll keep this card. But you owe me nothing. I would never turn down a child's plea for help."

"Still, I insist," Dad said.

"All right." She looked at me. "Goodbye, Sam."

"Goodbye, Mrs. Benson. And thanks for everything. Oh, and sorry for hurting your son. Tell him that, would you? Tell him I'm sorry for hurting him." She nodded and went back into her apartment. Once her door closed, Dad, Mel, and I turned around to face apartment 8C.

"I really don't want to do this," I voiced.

"Why not?" Mel asked.

"Because I don't want to hurt Spencer."

After a deep sigh, I took three steps forward and knocked on the door. I heard pounding footsteps coming from inside. Seconds later, the door burst open.

"Sam? Wow. I don't think I've heard you knock since…ever." Then he looked behind me. "Mel! Kiddo! When did you get here?"

"Yesterday," Mel replied with a smile. Then Spencer saw Dad and his smile dropped.

"Mr. Puckett? What are you doing here?" Spencer asked seriously. I stared in shock for a second. I never heard Spencer sound so serious before.

"You know our dad?" Mel asked in confusion. "How? He hasn't been to Seattle in _years_." Neither Spencer nor Dad answered her.

"Can we come in?" asked Dad.

"Yes. Of course. Sorry," Spencer said while stepping aside to let us into the apartment. "So what's going on?"

"They're here to pick me up Spencer." His face fell.

"You're leaving?"

"Yeah…." I couldn't look him in the eye.

"Why?" he asked softly.

"It's…it's just about time I did so."

"Is it because you and Carly had a fight?" I bit my lower lip before answering.

"It was more than a fight, Spence. We…we're no longer friends. Freddie, too. He chose Carly."

"Sam—

"Spencer, I came here to say goodbye. Not to have you convince me to stay. Everything's already set up. I've already gotten my transcripts from Ridgeway. And our plane leaves in a few hours."

"How soon?" he asked quickly.

"Before school lets out."

"Oh," he said in defeat.

"I just didn't want to leave before saying goodbye to you and thanking you for everything. You're the big brother I've never had. Thanks for always being there for me."

"You sure I can't convince you to stay?" he asked softly. I shook my head.

"No." Then he gave me a sad smile and opened his arms up.

"One last hug for your big brother?" I returned the smile and went to hug him. "Take care of yourself," he said as he let go several seconds later. Then he turned to Mel and the two exchanged a hug. Finally, Spencer turned to Dad.

"Thank you again, Spencer," said Dad holding out his hand. Spencer took it.

"Wait," I called out when Dad was about to walk towards the front door. I turned to Spencer. "Could I head up to the studio first? I just want to see it again before I leave."

"Of course," he replied.

I went towards the elevator and Mel followed in after me. When we reached the third floor, we stepped out and into the studio. I started walking around slowly, memorizing every detail—from the lighted pizza sign above the door to the hammer that almost killed Carly and everything in between. I ran my hand over the smooth hood of the fake car as I passed it. When I reached the tech cart, I contemplated messing with Freddie's equipment one last time, but decided against it. Instead, I brushed my fingers across the computer keys and the camera. Then I noticed my blue remote underneath some rolled-up cables that Freddie was probably going to install. Without a second thought, I grabbed my remote and placed it in the back pocket of my jeans, purposely ignoring Mel's pointed look. I figured Freddie could just make another one. With one last sweep of the studio with my eyes, I walked towards the studio door, and Melanie followed as I stepped out and took the stairs back down to the main floor.

"You okay?" Mel asked quietly as we went.

"I will be," I replied just as quietly.

We found Dad and Spencer sitting on the couch when we reached the first floor.

"All set?" Dad asked standing up.

"Yeah," I answered. With one last hug to Spencer, I followed Dad and Mel out of Bushwell Plaza.

Oddly enough, Lewbert just watched us from behind his newspaper as we walked through his lobby and out the door. And as I thought about it, I didn't remember his annoying screams as we walked in either. I guessed that even Lewbert knew that something was up. Before completely leaving the building, I turned around to face him.

"See ya, Lewb," I said. He replied with a solemn nod before returning to his paper.

* * *

We were already at the gate awaiting our time to board the plane when I suddenly remembered that I'd forgotten to say goodbye to one person: Fleck.

"_Chizz!_" I cursed, causing Mel to scold me. "It's not even a bad word."

"It's not the word," she states. "It's the intention." I rolled my eyes at her.

"Sorry," I said, not really meaning it. "But I just forgot to say goodbye to Fleck."

"Who's that?" Dad asked, showing his overprotective side. I rolled my eyes again.

"Just a _friend_, D," I told him. "And he's a kid. So, _gross_." I shuddered at the thought of me and Fleck together. Dad looked relieved. "I'd promised him that I'd do a comedy skit with him. Be right back," I shot out from my seat before they could say anything and stood by a wall. I took out my cell phone and called Fleck's number.

"Hello," he greeted.

"Yo, Fleck."

"Sam? Hey! I was wondering when you'd call about our skit," he said excitedly.

"Actually," I began hesitantly, "I'm calling to tell you that I can't help you with that anymore. I'm really sorry, Fleck." Then I tried to amend myself. "But if I have any ideas, I'll text or email them to you."

"Did something happen?" he asked in concerned. "Why are you suddenly canceling?"

"Well, I'm sort of at the airport right now—

"What!" he exclaimed in surprise.

"I'm moving, Fleck. Sorry I didn't get to say goodbye in person."

"But…I don't get it. Was this sudden or were you planning to leave all along?" He sounded so confused. The poor kid.

"It was pretty sudden," I replied.

"Can you tell me why?" I sighed.

"It's just…something I have to do. Plus, I want to spend some time with my sister and my dad." He was silent on the other end for a few seconds.

"Are you leaving because of your fight with Carly?" he asked hesitantly.

"We're no longer friends," I admitted. "Freddie's no longer my friend either…not that we ever were," I continued, mumbling the last part.

"This is Dave's and my fault, isn't it? If we hadn't fought, then you and Carly wouldn't have fought." He sounded so regretful.

"Listen, Fleck, it wasn't your or Dave's fault. Carly and I are just too different. We would have stopped being friends sooner or later. Just like with you and Dave. This isn't your fault, so don't go blaming yourself. Okay, dude?"

"Okay," he answered softly. "But I'm still sorry."

"Well, don't be. And I'm sorry that I can't be in the comedy skit with you and win all that money," I said, trying to lighten the mood.

"It's okay. _Really_."

"Bye, Fleck."

"Bye."

As soon as I hung up, the Delta agent announced the boarding for business class passengers on the PA system. Dad and Mel were already standing up and holding our carry-on bags when I reached them. Together, the three of us entered the airplane.

**TBC**

* * *

_A/N:_ Okay. I'm going to be switching gears for the next few chapters. This will be the last we'll be reading in Sam's POV for a while. Thanks so much for all who read, alerted, favorited, and esp reviewed this story. I know the plot is not what most iCarly readers usually go for, so I didn't expect much. Therefore, I'm really grateful to you for taking the time to even read. Thank you! Gracias! Salamat! Arigatou!

And if you want a great read, check out the stories written by these authors: **arrossisce, aussiemma, axel100, BaalRules, BoxOfTrinkets, boxofpiglets, Commander Lagasse, Coyote Laughs, hartful13, ItalianBabexo8,**** iCabal, **** iCarlyangst, iLuvNathanKrEsS, JamesTheGreater, KingxLeon21, Myjumpingsocks, ober22, pairababes, Pieequals36, pigwiz, Tech-Man, The Earl of ****Sandwich, **and **xXACCEBXx. **With their differing styles, I'm sure you'll find a story to your liking.**  
**


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